Archive of previous NTS Skeptical News listings

Sunday, June 01, 2003

Tabloid: Alien Baby Found in Wyoming

CASPER, Wyo. - The headline raised some eyebrows, but authorities
said there's no evidence an alien baby has been found in Casper.

According to a story published in The Weekly World News tabloid,
local rancher Phil Merleson found a scaly skinned infant on the floor of
his barn May 7 after hearing a humming sound emanating from the
building.

The story added that mysterious lights were seen in the area the
previous night. The creature, the paper reported, has two brains and
three hearts, is in good health and can produce high-frequency wails
capable of shattering glass.

Included with the story were several photographs allegedly taken from
a video shot by Merleson's wife, Cynthia.

FBI Special Agent Ann Atanasio said the agency was not aware of
any alien babies discovered in its territory covering Wyoming and
Colorado and denied any involvement with such a case.

"But I suggest that you might want to refer any inquiries to FBI
headquarters and ask for agents Mulder or Scully," she quipped,
referring to the stars of the TV show "The X-Files."

Natrona County Sheriff Mark Benton was also unaware of any alien
babies discovered in barns in his jurisdiction.

"I wish we had found an alien baby, but we have not found one and
we have not really been looking for one," he said.

The newspaper learned of the happenings from the Merlesons
themselves, who sent editors the videotape, Weekly World News
executive editor Barry Dutter said.

No one named Merleson, however, is listed in Casper-area phone
books or on any Internet-based telephone directory.

Jesus was gay - $51,000 says so

JESUS was gay – the University of Queensland gave $51,000 of
public money to a PhD student to reach that conclusion.

Melbourne-based Rollan McCleary, who will today be awarded
his doctorate, earned $17,000 a year to work on his three-year
thesis on homosexual spirituality.

As well as his revelation about Christ, Dr McCleary has also
reached the conclusion that three – or possibly four – of Jesus's
chosen disciples were also gay. A former Paris radio broadcaster,
Hong Kong teacher and graduate of London University, Dr
McCleary lived in Brisbane while completing his thesis.

He now lives in Melbourne, where he hopes to pursue
postdoctoral studies with the aim of making gay spirituality a
separate academic discipline.

Dr McCleary also believes that gay people find it easier to be
Christian. "You don't have to be gay to be Christian, but it would
be easier," he said.

Gay people, he said, were "looking for the ecstatic", sometimes in
harmful ways, but were more inclined to be visionary and open to
the transcendent.

He said Jesus's astrological chart, clues in the scriptures to which
the churches had been blind and accurate biblical translations had
all played a part in his conclusions. "The starting point is the matter
of John, who always referred to himself as Jesus's beloved
disciple," Dr McCleary said.

In a forthcoming book, he attempts to present St John's gospel in a
new light to back up his claims.

"If you assume that Christ was incarnate, there are perfect
theological and mystical reasons to point to his sexuality," Dr
McCleary said.

Gay spirituality, he said, had begun with Christianity then fanned
out to other religious such as Buddhism.

An Anglican and a qualified reader of astrological charts, Dr
McCleary is open about being gay himself.

The Courier-Mail

PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE

The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Physics News
Number 639 May 30, 2003 by Phillip F. Schewe, Ben Stein, and James
Riordon

OPTICAL PERISTALSIS. Part of the digestion process consists of the
massaging movement of powerful esophageal muscles urging food
particles along the alimentary track. The same sort of
"peristalsis" can also be carried out at the nanoscopic level with
small objects in the grip of cleverly crafted light pulses. David
Grier and Brian Koss at the University of Chicago use the optical
tweezer method of controlling particles with multiple laser beams,
but instead of a static array of beams, they use computer-generated
holograms to convert a single beam of light into large numbers of
optical traps. Each hologram may be considered to be a specialized
diffraction grating, producing intricately articulated networks of
hundreds of optical traps. Objects can fall into these light traps
and then the traps can be moved, thus transporting the objects. The
aim is to move and position sub-micron things in 3D space.

Applications include inserting the object into a microscopic
reservoir and pulling it back (parallelism is one of the technique's
strengths), or centering or rotating a biological cell in a
microscope's field of view. Grier's work has led to a commercial
version of this holographic optical tweezers, one in which a pattern
of 200 optical traps can be refreshed or modified at a rate of 100
times per second. (By the way, how forefront research is turned
into saleable products is an interesting story by itself. For
example, the company Grier started, Arryx,
Inc.---http://arryx.com---has a scientific advisory board (SAB) with
notable scientists from Princeton, NIH, the Whitehead Institute,
Harvard, and Northwestern.) In the "peristalsis" mode of
operation, particles are deliberately handed off from
one optical trap to another, as in a bucket brigade. In a separate
"thermal ratchet" mode of operation, the transfer from trap to trap
might involve intervals of free diffusion; this mode should be
useful for fractionating DNA molecules (see previous Update story at
http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2003/split/627-1.html ) as part of
the process of sequencing a gene.

Speaking as a physicist, Grier says the most important aspect of his
group's holographically generated tweezer patterns is the ability to
implement time-varying potential energy landscapes for moving tiny
objects in a "force-free" way. Speaking as a biophysicist, Grier
points to the ability to reach into a microscopic environment and to
position samples just where you want them. (Koss and Grier, Applied
Physics Letters, 2 June 2003; d- grier@uchicago.edu, 773-702-9176,
lab website at http://griergroup.uchicago.edu/~grier/hot/ )

A NEW OPTICAL GEOMETRIC PHASE has been measured for the first time,
by a group of physicists at Colgate University. The new geometrical
phase is associated with light beams carrying orbital angular
momentum. This development can be considered yet another step toward
understanding and exploiting the weirdness of quantum reality for
performing novel feats of computation. To see the meaning behind
the new effect, we shall break the explanation into parts,
considering in turn the issues of phase, orbital angular momentum in light,
and then geometrical
phase in light. First, phase. Many common periodic things have phase. The
orientation or phase of a minute hand on a clock is the amount by
which the hand has swept around the clock face: a quarter past the
hour, half past the hour, etc. Except when going into a new time
zone the phase of the clock regularly returns to its original
position every sixty minutes. The phase of a water wave specifies
where along the wave's crest-to-trough cycle it might be at any
moment. Now consider a different kind of phase. Picture a sign with
an arrow on it, oriented north. Starting at the equator, and
without changing its orientation, push the sign along the ground one
fourth of the way around the world. Next push the sign due north
until you reach the north pole, where, without changing the sign's
orientation, you move directly south again to return to your
starting point. Even though you will have traced a closed loop the
sign will now have a westerly orientation. In other words, because
of the intrinsic curved geometry of the path, a change in phase will
have occurred. This kind of phase change can occur in a quantum
system.

Second, orbital angular momentum. The ordinary forward momentum of
a particle of light is equal to Planck's constant divided by the
wavelength of the equivalent light wave. Furthermore, the light is
said to possess an intrinsic angular momentum, or "spin." The spin
angular momentum can be oriented by polarizers so that the electric
field of the light wave is oscillating vertically up and down, or
horizontally back and forth. Equivalently, if the light wave is
circularly polarized (the electric field precesses in corkscrew
fashion as the wave moves along) the two contrary states of the spin
would then correspond to the light wave's electric field precessing
clockwise (in a "right-handed" way) or anticlockwise (in a"left
handed" way). For the purposes of data processing a 0 or 1 bit can
be associated respectively with vertical and horizontal polarizations or,
equivalently, with
clockwise or anticlockwise polarizations. But what does it mean for
light to have "orbital" angular momentum? What is it that orbits?
To ponder this issue, picture the electric field values for a vertical
planar slice
of the light beam. For vertically-polarized light, the electric
field at all the points on the slice are vertically oriented. Look
at the sameslice at a later time and the fields are still vertically oriented.
For circularly polarized light, the fields in the slice will, at a
certain moment, also be oriented in the same way. A moment later,
however, the electric field will have precessed a bit (from the one o'clock
position, say, to the three o'clock position; another way of saying
this is that the phase of the electric field will have advanced a
bit) but the orientation of the field at each point on the vertical
slice will be the same. With the use of special gratings one can
produce an entirely different mode of light, one in which the
electric field phase coils around the beam axis, and the light is
said to possess an orbital angular momentum, or OAM. This condition
is visualized at the following website prepared by physicists at
Colgate University:
departments.colgate.edu/physics/research/optics/oamgp/gp.htm. This
extra property of "coiled light" might be exploitable for future
quantum computing. For instance, recently a group at the University
of Vienna used OAM in light to create a three-dimensional entangled
state, or "qutrit" (Vaziri et al., Physical Review Letters, 9 Dec
2002). Third issue: geometrical phase. When a light pulse is made
to follow a closed loop path in real space, the phase of the
returning beam might be slightly off from the phase of light
starting off at that point. This disparity (which can result in an
interference effect) can be modified by changing the path length.
It can also be modified by changing the path geometry. In addition,
the space does not need to be real space. When the "mode" (set of
standing waves in the beam) is changed, it can also produce a phase
when changing the geometry of the path in "mode space," and it is
this that the Colgate physicists have measured. (see a schematic of
the setup at this website:
departments.colgate.edu/physics/research/optics/oamgp/geomph.htm ).
The change in phase that a quantum system undergoes in going around
a closed path in a space of states or parameters is called a
"geometrical phase," and can be measured when the light emerges from
the path to form a spiral shaped interference pattern at an external
detector (Galvez et al., Physical Review Letters, 23 May 2003;
contact Kiko Galvez, egalvez@mail.colgate.edu, 315-228-7205). (For
further background, see Physical Review Focus item at
focus.aps.org/story/v9/st29 and an article on geometric phase in
Physics Today, Dec 1990.)

PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE is a digest of physics news items arising
from physics meetings, physics journals, newspapers and
magazines, and other news sources. It is provided free of charge
as a way of broadly disseminating information about physics and
physicists. For that reason, you are free to post it, if you like,
where others can read it, providing only that you credit AIP.
Physics News Update appears approximately once a week.

Finding Meaning in "Junk" DNA

The human genome is full of repetitive DNA sequences that do not
code for proteins. Research over the last decade has indicated that
these sequences, once assumed to be "junk DNA," are an important
source of genetic variability that contributes to genome evolution.
So-called Alu elements, which are repeated hundreds of thousands of
times, are the most common repetitive sequences in the human genome
and have been shown to contribute to numerous genetic diseases. In
a report in the 23 May 2003 Science, Lev-Maor et al.
( http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/300/5623/1288 ) showed
how Alu elements can be incorporated into the coding region of a gene
without destroying the gene's function. According to the study, Alu
sequences are inserted by an alternative splicing mechanism whereby
specific sequences and positions of the elements can allow the splicing
to occur. Any mutation in this "signal" sequence could potentially lead
to production of abnormal proteins and result in disease. As noted in an
accompanying Perspective by W. Makalowski
( http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/300/5623/1246 ), the new
study further demonstrates that "repetitive elements are not useless junk
but rather are important, integral components of eukaryotic genomes."

Saturday, May 31, 2003

MIOS MEETING

Metroplex Institute of Origin Science

Hear
Don R. Patton, Ph.D.
Present

Archeological Evidence
For The New Testament

An exciting archeological discovery in Jerusalem was announced last fall, an ossuary (burial
box) with the inscription, "James, the son of Joseph, the brother of Jesus."

It understandably, made headlines around the world but made many unhappy. It provided
evidence for faith in the New Testament account, embarrassed liberal and Catholic
theologians, while producing frantic efforts to mitigate its significance. Naive reporters
repeated the many of the face saving efforts. One claimed the find was "the only
archeological evidence supporting faith in the New Testament. Nothing else confirming
existence of Christ has ever been found." Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Dr. Patton will describe and evaluate the find and demonstrate that this amazing discovery is
only the tip of the iceberg of abundant evidence from archeology supporting faith in the New
Testament.

FBI: Olympic bombing suspect arrested

A man officials say they believe is Eric Robert Rudolph is arrested
in Murphy, North Carolina. Fingerprint results are needed to confirm
the man's identity (May 31) PLAY VIDEO

(CNN) -- Eric Robert Rudolph -- the man charged with the 1996 Olympics
bombing, as well as the bombings of a gay nightclub and two women's
clinics that performed abortions – has been captured alive, an FBI
source told CNN. Two people were killed and many were injured in the attacks.
A sheriff's deputy in Murphy, North Carolina, arrested a man believed to
be Rudolph late Friday night without a struggle after he was found behind a
business, Cherokee County Sheriff Keith Lovin told CNN.

AT NEWS: Book Examines AT

It's finally here! A book entirely devoted to critically examining the
bizarre world of Attachment (Holding) Therapy, the most pernicious
pseudoscience and dangerous quackery thriving in the United States today.

"Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker"
by Jean Mercer, Larry Sarner and Linda Rosa (Praeger; May 30, 2003).

This book sells at a whopping $44.95, reflecting the wealth of insights
provided by psychology professor Jean Mercer on nature of Attachment
Therapy and AT parenting methods. All three authors assisted the
prosecution in the "rebirthing" trial that resulted in historic 16-year
sentences for therapists Connell Watkins and Julie Ponder.

The book carries two stellar endorsements:

From ELIZABETH LOFTUS, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, University of
California, Irvine: "Masterfully chronicles the chilling story of how a
10-year old girl, Candace, endured painful physical stimulation, was
dangerously restrained, and eventually suffocated to death. In the name of
'curing her' with Attachment Therapy, Candace's therapists ignored her
begging, screaming, and gasping; eventually they were convicted in criminal
court. The extent to which some therapists embrace such unvalidated fringe
treatments is one of the greatest scandals in today's mental health system.
This damning indictment should stir a badly needed national debate about
these practices, and aid in the fight against them."

From FREDERICK CREWS, Principal Author, "The Memory Wars": "Here is a
profoundly good book--humane, constructive, and scrupulously
objective--about a case that could have been treated with sensationalism
and melodrama. Attachment Therapy, the authors show, is only the most
dangerous embodiment of a more general aberration: the founding of
treatments on premises that have already been confuted by sound research.
Every therapist and every legislator ought to take this important work to
heart."

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: "Candace Newmaker was an adopted girl whose
mother felt the child suffered from an emotional disorder that prevented
loving attachment. The mother sought attachment therapy--a fringe form of
psychotherapy--for the child and was present at her death by suffocation
during that therapy. This text examines the beliefs of the girl's mother
and the unlicensed therapists, showing that the death, though
unintentional, was a logical outcome of this form of treatment.
"The authors explain legal factors that make it difficult to ban
attachment therapy, despite its significant dangers. Much of the text's
material is drawn from court testimony from the therapists' trial, and from
11 hours of videotape made while Candace was forcibly held beneath a
blanket by several adults during the "therapy." This book also presents
history connecting attachment therapy to century-old fringe treatments,
explaining why they may appeal to an unsophisticated public. This book will
appeal to general readers, such as parents and adoption educators, as well
as to scholars and students in clinical psychology, child psychiatry, and
social work."

INTERVIEWS WITH AUTHORS: Contact AT News for arrangements.

===================

[*AT NEWS* sends the latest news to activists and allied organizations
about the many abusive, pseudoscientific, and violent practices inflicted
on children by the fringe psychotherapy known as Attachment Therapy, aka
"holding therapy" and "therapeutic parenting." Attachment Therapists claim
to work with the most vulnerable of children, e.g. minority children,
children in foster care, and adoptees. AT NEWS is the publication of newly
formed *Advocates for Children in Therapy.* For more information on
Attachment Therapy, go to the Utah activists' site:
http://www.kidscomefirst.info ]

Are psychics big old fakes? The Amazing Randi is
a master debunker

Just as Inspector Javert was on a relentless
pursuit in "Les Miserables," The Amazing Randi is
on his own non-stop mission to debunk psychics
and faith healers in America.

Otherwise known as James Randi, the
internationally known magician, speaker, and
investigator of the paranormal is coming to CU to
give a free public talk tonight. Covering ground
from the Bermuda Triangle to UFOs and psychic
spoon bending, Randi claims that he will
demystify the woo-woo world of the paranormal.

Randi wasn't always bent on pursuing psychics run
amuck. He started his career as a magician and
appeared on children's shows like "Wonderama" in
the '60s. However, he was always fascinated by
the work of Harry Houdini.

One of the best-known magicians of the 20th
century, Houdini not only spent time conjuring up
tricks, but he was also famous for weeding out
the phony psychics and spiritualists of his time.

Taking a cue from Houdini, Randi discovered that
many modern psychics were using parlor tricks and
ancient magical ruses to conduct readings and
seances.

"I look at it this way - if you're in Central
Park and you see a couple of thugs and the car
speeds off, you can do nothing or call for help.
I'm calling for help here, because something very
wrong has been going in the world of psychics and
the paranormal and money is being taken away from
innocent people," remarked Randi.

Like Houdini, Randi believes that the only way to
nab a fake psychic is to catch them in the game.
He says he's driven to expose people who falsely
claim they have supernatural powers, and like
Houdini he's offering a large sum of money to
anyone who can prove they are truly psychic.

"Houdini spent the last few years of his life
doing this - but he couldn't handle it," said
Randi. "He challenged the psychics of his time
and said that if he couldn't duplicate what they
did, he'd pay them. I don't happen to believe
that any of the supernatural exists. It's like if
I asked you do you believe in Santa Claus? The
argument's weak and the evidence is not
sufficient to prove the case."

To prove his point, Randi has upped the ante and
is now offering a million dollars to anyone who
says that they can prove they're psychic.

Anyone thinking they can pick up a quick million
better think again, as Randi has stringent rules
concerning this challenge. The applicant must
state clearly in advance what powers he will
demonstrate, and only an actual performance that
falls within the agreed-upon limits will be
accepted.

The agreement also states that if the event is
successful the psychic will immediately get a
check for $10,000, and then receive the balance
of the million dollars in ten days.

But to date, Randi says that no one has past his
test.

"Only the amateurs have come to us," admitted
Randi. "Most people are innocent and believe they
have powers. The professional psychics like
Sylvia Browne and John Edward ignore us. I'm
willing to be shown anything, but I just came
back from Korea and saw all these psychics doing
the same tricks that have been used in magic
since the 1600's. It's all trickery."

Randi claims that TV psychics James Van Praagh
and Edward rig their TV shows and find out
information about audience members prior to show
time. He says they use what's called
"cold-readings" to press audiences for easy
answers to their questions. A cold reading would
be where a psychic stumbles around until they get
a correct answer.

"These psychics are obtaining information from
people before their shows and they just give out
the same old tired, answers. It's funny that the
spirits they talk to never seem to give you any
important information - like where did Grandma
hide the will?," joked Randi.

And while Van Praagh and Edwards have sometimes
been known to freeze before live audiences, Randi
seems to have a particular beef with the grande
dame of psychics - Sylvia Browne.

"Sylvia Browne said that she would take up my
challenge. She pressed for that agreement and
said she would get in touch with me and never
did. I know she's going to be on Larry King
tonight (Friday). The only reason he keeps
bringing her back is because she's a goldmine to
that show," said Randi.

Browne did make an appearance on last Friday's
Larry King show, and during the call-in segment
of the program a guy from Texas demanded to know
why she hadn't answered Randi's request for 620
days - which interestingly enough appears on
Randi's website.

"If the money's not in the bank, why should I do
it?" responded Browne during the King show. "He
won't put the money in escrow, so why would I do
it if when the money can't be validated?"

The caller then asked Browne if she would take
the test if the money situation could be
remedied. Although she rolled her eyes, Browne
did agree. King then piped in, saying that he
would arrange everything, if the caller came up
with the actual money.

Browne also mentioned the fact that a young
Russian psychic was complaining about the
challenge. Earlier in the day - before the King
show aired; Randi did freely talk about the
incident.

"Her lawyer's calling me and she's accusing me of
dragging my feet. But I want her to take the test
again. I have no fear. She's just doing the same
blindfold act that I've seen all these other kids
do," explained Randi.

The Amazing Randi stands by his guns in claiming
that "psychics" are fakes. He says that years ago
he discovered the trick behind spoon-bender Uri
Geller. Randi claims that he can duplicate the
trick, because the spoon is not bent by the power
of the mind. Instead, the magician says that
sleight-of-hand magic is used, and that the spoon
is bent while the audience is distracted.

Randi says that you can see all this on videotape
when the trick is filmed. But psychics aren't the
only paranormal topics that the magician likes to
debunk. Randi claims that being an amateur
astronomer has helped him prove that UFOs aren't
real. Forget about alien abductions in the world
of the Amazing Randi.

"I just can't believe in UFOs when the only
people that seem to get picked up and abducted by
them are unhappy middle-aged women," said Randi.

While people may go pro or con on Randi's beliefs
on psychics and UFOs, there are many relieved
that his work in revealing fake faith healers has
come to light.

Randi takes full credit for busting TV evangelist
Peter Popoff. Reminiscent of the Steve Martin
movie "Leap of Faith," the fake healing preacher
used electronic gizmos to "read" his audiences -
until he was discovered by the magician.

"'Leap of Faith' was based directly on my book. I
didn't get a nickel from that movie and Steve
Martin was the one that wrote the script. But
that million dollars I'm offering even goes to
finding real faith healers. I filmed a story
about TV evangelist Benny Hinn for the BBC
showing all his healing tricks, but they wouldn't
broadcast it and they threatened legal action,"
said Randi.

The Amazing Randi will cover all this and more
during tonight's CU talk called "Search for
Chimera: An Overview of How Science Has Pursued
Magic and Miracles in the 20th Century and into
the 21st Century."

Whether you call it bunk or reality, Randi
certainly does bring up some interesting
questions in his personal search for truth.
Making blanket statements that there are
absolutely no paranormal occurrences, no
miracles, or that all psychics are fake are
pretty broad statements to take on. But Randi is
ready to challenge his Boulder audience tonight.

FYI: The Amazing Randi appears tonight at Macky
Auditorium, CU Boulder campus, 7:30 p.m. Free and
open to the public.

Science In the News

The following roundup of science stories appearing each day in the general
media is compiled by the Media Resource Service, Sigma Xi's referral
service
for journalists in need of sources of scientific expertise.

If you experience any problems with the URLs (page not found, page
expired,
etc.), we suggest you proceed to the home page of "Science In the News"
http://www.mediaresource.org/news.htm which mirrors the daily e-mail
update.

IN THE NEWS

Today's Headlines – May 30, 2003

SIGN UP TODAY for "Science in the News Weekly," an e-newsletter produced by
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Scientists yesterday said they have discovered a long-sought "master gene"
in embryonic stem cells that is largely responsible for giving those cells
their unique regenerative and therapeutic potential.

The discovery of the gene brings scientists closer to a holy grail of
biology: the ability to turn ordinary cells into those that possess all the
biomedical potency of human embryonic stem cells, eliminating the need to
destroy embryos to get them.

Researchers cautioned that the new work -- details of which were published
in today's issue of the journal Cell -- will not bring a quick end to the
political controversy over human embryo research. Some said research
involving human embryos will be more important than ever for at least a
while, as scientists turn their attention to the master gene and how it
works in its natural, embryonic environment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55817-2003May29.html?nav=hptop_tb

ANOTHER CLONE MILESTONE AS A MULE IS BORN IN IDAHO
from The New York Times

Scientists said yesterday that they had cloned a mule for the first time,
raising the prospect that it will soon be possible to produce genetic
carbon copies of related animals, including champion racehorses.

The feat, by scientists at the University of Idaho and Utah State
University, represents the first time an equine animal has been cloned. The
baby mule, named Idaho Gem, was born at the University of Idaho on May 4
and is "vigorous and healthy," Dirk K. Vanderwall, one of the scientists,
said at a news conference.

HOUSTON, May 29 — A piece of insulating foam shot at a mocked-up shuttle
wing opened a long slit in its leading edge, which may help to explain what
caused the loss of the space shuttle Columbia, investigators said today.

In the experiment, which was conducted for the independent board
investigating the shuttle disaster, researchers shot a 1.67-pound chunk of
foam from a gas cannon at a full-size model of the wing's leading edge at
about 530 miles per hour. They were trying to recreate the circumstances at
the Columbia's launching, when a piece of insulating foam from the external
tank slammed into the shuttle wing at similar speed.

The first of two rovers headed to Mars will be launched no earlier than
June 8, NASA officials said, marking the second liftoff delay for the
project.

Jim Erickson, mission manager of the $800-million Mars Exploration Rover
project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said Thursday that
the spacecraft appeared to be in good shape for launch. The spacecraft has
already been rolled out to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida and
hoisted to the top of the Boeing Delta II rocket that will carry it into
space.

Friday, May 30, 2003

Historic Mars lander 'did find life'

By Helen Briggs
BBC News Online science reporter

Claims have re-emerged that the US space agency (Nasa) did find signs of life on
Mars during the historic Viking landings of 1976.
Dr Gil Levin, a former mission scientist, says he now has the evidence to prove
it, just days before the US and Europe send new expeditions to the Red Planet.

The United States and Russia have spent billions since the 1960s on a handful of
space craft designed to land on Mars.
Only three have succeeded so far: the two Viking probes in the 1970s and Mars
Pathfinder in 1997.

In 1976, the world was gripped by excitement when a robotic spacecraft touched
down on Mars for the first time in history.

Before announcing the news that life had been found on another planet, Nasa
carried out more tests to look for evidence of organic matter.

However, the Viking experiments failed to find this essential stuff of life and
it was concluded that Mars was a dead planet.

New evidence

Dr Levin, one of three scientists on the life detection experiments, has never
given up on the idea that Viking did find living micro-organisms in the surface
soil of Mars.

He continued to experiment and study all new evidence from Mars and Earth, and,
in 1997, reached the conclusion and published that the so-called LR (labelled
release) work had detected life.
He says new evidence is emerging that could settle the debate, once and for all.

He told BBC News Online: "The organic analysis instrument was shown to be very
insensitive, requiring millions of micro-organisms to detect any organic matter
versus the LR's demonstrated ability to detect as few as 50 micro-organisms."

Dr Levin, now president and CEO of US biotechnology company Biospherix, has a
new experiment that he says "could unambiguously settle the argument".

But it was rejected by both Nasa and the European Space Agency (Esa) to go
on-board this summer's Mars missions.

The British-built Beagle 2, which will be deposited on the Martian surface by
Esa's Mars Express space craft, is going with the main purpose to hunt for life.
This is a risky strategy according to Dr Levin.

"Strangely, despite its billing, Beagle 2 carries no life detection experiment!"
he said. "Neither its GCMS (organic detector) which is claimed to be more
sensitive than Viking's, nor its isotopic analysis instrument can provide
evidence for living organisms."

Robot geologists

Nasa's mission to Mars is taking a more circumspect approach to the big life
question.

Its two identical rovers will roam the ancient plains of Mars acting as robot
geologists.

Mark Adler, deputy mission manager, said the main science objective was to
understand the water environment of Mars not to search for life.

He told BBC News Online: "What we learnt from Viking is that it is very
difficult to come up with specific experiments to look for something you don't
really know what to look for."

Claims of life on Mars have always proved highly contentious. Twenty years after
Viking, microbe-like structures discovered inside a Martian meteorite found in
Antarctica led to more claims that were later rejected.

As the astronomer Carl Sagan once said, extraordinary claims require
extraordinary evidence. And there is no reason to believe that anything found
this time will be any different.

"It's going to take a number of missions if we want to know whether there is
life on Mars or not," said Dr Charles Cockell, a Mars biologist at the British
Antarctic Survey in Cambridgeshire, UK.

"If we find no evidence of life on Mars it may just mean we have looked in the
wrong place."

The Center for Inquiry presents an extraordinary 2-day briefing on the
increasing encroachment of evangelicalism and fundamentalism in American
politics, culture, and education. CFI founder and chair Paul Kurtz leads a
panel of experts in discussing the latest developments in the antievolution
movement, new threats to free inquiry in education, theology and
geopolitics, faith-based initiatives, and much more. How can defenders of
the secular and scientific outlook respond?

The $79 registration fee includes luncheon and the 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. program on
Saturday, continental breakfast and 9 a.m. - 12 noon program on Sunday.
Register now by calling 1-800-634-1610. A downloadable PDF program and
registration form is available at
http://www.cfimetrony.org/CFI%20Seminar.pdf.

The Center for Inquiry is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization
that promotes reason and science in all human endeavors. Founded in 1995 by
philosopher and author Paul Kurtz, the Center is home to the Council for
Secular Humanism, publisher of Free Inquiry magazine, and the Committee for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), publisher
of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. For more information about the Center for
Inquiry, visit the organization's official Web site at
http://www.centerforinquiry.net.

Thursday, May 29, 2003

Happy Birthday, Bob

Science In the News

The following roundup of science stories appearing each day in the general media is compiled by the Media Resource Service, Sigma Xi's referral service for
journalists in need of sources of scientific expertise.

If you experience any problems with the URLs (page not found, page expired, etc.), we suggest you proceed to the home page of "Science In the News"
http://www.mediaresource.org/news.shtml which mirrors the daily e-mail update.

In the News

Today's Headlines - May 29, 2003

VIDEO-GAME KILLING BUILDS VISUAL SKILLS, RESEARCHERS REPORT
from The New York Times

And now, the news that every parent dreads. Researchers are reporting today that
first-person-shooter video games — the kind that require players to kill or maim
enemies or monsters that pop out of nowhere — sharply improve visual attention
skills.

Experienced players of these games are 30 percent to 50 percent better than
nonplayers at taking in everything that happens around them, according to the
research, which appears today in the journal Nature. They identify objects in their
peripheral vision, perceiving numerous objects without having to count them,
switch attention rapidly and track many items at once.

Nor are players simply faster at these tasks, said Dr. Daphne Bavelier, an
associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Rochester, who
led the study. First-person action games increase the brain's capacity to spread
attention over a wide range of events. Other types of action games, including
those that focus on strategy or role playing, do not produce the same effect.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/29/science/29VIDE.html

DUKE UNIVERSITY TEAMS UP WITH GENOME PIONEER VENTER
from The (Raleigh, NC) News & Observer

Duke University Medical Center is pairing with one of science's most famous
players in an ambitious effort to harness genetic information for disease
prevention, diagnosis and treatment, officials announced Wednesday.

The university and J. Craig Venter, who raced the government to map the human
genome, are beginning a collaboration that marries Duke's expertise with
patients and Venter's technology to create a giant research venture.

The goal is to find a way of putting the human genome to use in everyday
medicine, mapping the genetic susceptibility of patients for developing cancer or
heart disease so that they could tailor their lifestyles to prevent sickness.
http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/2573910p-2388770c.htmlBIGGEST BLAST IN COSMOS REVEALS ITS DARK HEART
from The New York Times

NASHVILLE, May 28 — While taking X-ray pictures of flares from the Sun in
December, a scientific spacecraft happened to detect a tremendous blast of
gamma rays from several billion light-years away. The observation, astronomers
say, showed the driving force behind what appear to be the most powerful
explosions in the universe.

In a report here today at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society,
researchers from the University of California at Berkeley said the coherence and
alignment, the polarization, of the gamma radiation implied that the tremendous
burst of energy originated from a region of highly structured magnetic fields.

BOULDER, Colo. — Cold. Dark. Forgotten. And so out of reach. Alan Stern has
spent more than two decades dreaming about Pluto, certain that this most distant
of planets, the only one in the solar system never explored, would soon be
glimpsed by a set of robotic eyes sent from Earth.

"We thought this is a cinch. We'll have a Pluto mission in a few years," he
recalled. That was 14 years ago. Stern was fresh out of graduate school and the
outer solar system was just beginning to enthrall planetary scientists.

NEW YORK – In parks, as in fashion, New York led the way. In July of 1853, when
the state set aside 778 acres in the middle of Manhattan Island to be used as "a
public place," no American city had ever claimed so much private land for public
use. The act forever altered Manhattan's developing grid of streets, and left the
beloved Central Park as its legacy.

A century and a half later, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the park's eastern
border, is presenting "Central Park: A Sesquicentennial Celebration," an
exhibition about its design and construction. Museum visitors can compare the
park they see outside with the one imagined on the walls.

A great urban park should "inspire the imagination to experience the city
differently and cause us to think differently about who we are," says Theodore
Landsmark, president of the Boston Architectural Center. This summer, New York
City's commemoration of Central Park's 150th anniversary will give visitors an
opportunity to reflect not only on the history of the park, but also on the reason
this visionary space continues to draw visitors and inspire the development of
urban parks nationwide.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0529/p12s01-sten.html

Y Chromosomes Sketch New Outline of British History

May 27, 2003
By NICHOLAS WADE

History books favor stories of conquest, not of continuity,
so it is perhaps not surprising that many Englishmen grow
up believing they are a fighting mixture of the Romans,
Anglo-Saxons, Danes, Vikings and Normans who invaded
Britain. The defeated Celts, by this reckoning, left their
legacy only in the hinterlands of Ireland, Scotland and
Wales.

A new genetic survey of Y chromosomes throughout the
British Isles has revealed a very different story. The
Celtic inhabitants of Britain were real survivors. Nowhere
were they entirely replaced by the invaders and they
survive in high proportions, often 50 percent or more,
throughout the British Isles, according to a study by Dr.
Cristian Capelli, Dr. David B. Goldstein and others at
University College London.

The study, being reported today in Current Biology, was
based on comparing Y chromosomes sampled throughout the
British Isles with the invaders' Y chromosomes, as
represented by the present-day descendants of the Danes,
Vikings (in Norway) and Anglo-Saxons (in Schleswig-Holstein
in northern Germany).

Wednesday, May 28, 2003

Science In the News

The following roundup of science stories appearing each day in the general media is compiled by the Media Resource Service, Sigma Xi's referral service for
journalists in need of sources of scientific expertise.

If you experience any problems with the URLs (page not found, page expired, etc.), we suggest you proceed to the home page of "Science In the News"
http://www.mediaresource.org/news.shtml which mirrors the daily e-mail update.

In the News

Today's Headlines - May 28, 2003

HORMONE THERAPY INCREASES RISK OF DEMENTIA, STUDY FINDS
from The San Francisco Chronicle

Contrary to widespread belief that hormone supplements are good for brain
function, a new study has found that women taking the most popular hormone
combination doubled their risk of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.

The startling new data, released in today's issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association, came from a study halted last summer when researchers
found that combination estrogen-progestin hormone replacement therapy raised
the risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes.

Ocean pollution often begins hundreds of miles inland, requiring a broader,
ecosystem-based approach to controlling it, James Watkins, head of the U.S.
Commission on Ocean Policy, said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated
Press.

Howard University officials yesterday announced plans to create the first
large-scale collection of genetic profiles of African Americans, an endeavor they
described as a bid for a "place at the table in genetic research" and a pathway to
improved medical care for blacks.

The DNA data would be collected in the form of laboratory samples from
thousands of patients at Howard University Hospital, which serves a predominantly
black and medically underserved population in the District. The confidential
information on 25,000 Howard patients would be stored in computers by a
Chicago-based private company that pledges to keep it safe from hackers and
inquisitive health and life insurance companies, officials said. Later, the
recruitment drive would tap Howard alumni, they said.

Promoters of the project contend it could supply important knowledge about
health patterns in a racial minority group that has mostly shied away from
participating in medical research for a half-century even as its members have
endured starkly higher rates of chronic diseases and preventable deaths than
whites. The incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure and prostate cancer,
among other diseases, is far higher among African Americans than whites. It is
sharply higher than the rate of those diseases among Africans, too, a point that
Howard researchers want to study.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46122-2003May27.html

SARS: A GUIDE TO ORIGINS, SYMPTOMS AND PRECAUTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
from The Washington Post

Health officials around the world are grappling with a rapidly spreading epidemic
of a severe respiratory ailment known as SARS. Here's a quick look at who's at
risk and other basic questions about the disease.

Q. What are the symptoms of SARS?

A. They are a lot like pneumonia or the flu. People get a very high fever -- at
least 100.4 degrees. They also usually have shortness of breath or other
problems breathing and a dry cough. Some people get other symptoms, including
a headache, stiff or achy muscles, a loss of appetite, fatigue, a rash and
diarrhea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11849-2003Apr2.html

WAY OUT THERE IN ARP 299, A FACTORY FOR SUPERNOVAS
from The New York Times

NASHVILLE, May 27 — Penetrating thick dust where two galaxies are colliding,
radio telescopes have observed the fireworks and afterglows of stars exploding at
such an extraordinary rate that astronomers are calling the turbulent region a
"supernova factory."

Astronomers, though not surprised, expressed awe at the discovery. Merging
galaxies are known to be places of prolific star formation, and a few exploding
stars, or supernovas, had already been detected in the region of the new
discovery. What was impressive, scientists said, was what seemed to be an
abundance of supernovas in one star cluster, a relatively small area by cosmic
standards, and how conditions there could resemble those in the early universe.

In a report here today at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society,
researchers said that they had observed remnants of four supernovas and one
newly exploded star in a region 350 light-years in diameter, which is merely part
of the nucleus of one of the colliding galaxies. The new supernova was only seven
light-years, a cosmic hairbreadth, from one of the other explosions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/28/science/28ASTR.html

EXXON BACKS GROUPS THAT QUESTION GLOBAL WARMING
from The New York Times

WASHINGTON, May 27 — Exxon Mobil has publicly softened its stance toward
global warming over the last year, with a pledge of $10 million in annual
donations for 10 years to Stanford University for climate research.

At the same time, the company, the world's largest oil and gas concern, has
increased donations to Washington-based policy groups that, like Exxon itself,
question the human role in global warming and argue that proposed government
policies to limit carbon dioxide emissions associated with global warming are too
heavy handed.

Exxon now gives more than $1 million a year to such organizations, which include
the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Frontiers of Freedom, the George C. Marshall
Institute, the American Council for Capital Formation Center for Policy Research
and the American Legislative Exchange Council.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/28/business/worldbusiness/28EXXO.html

The Holy Shroud (of Turin)

This name is primarily given to a relic now preserved at Turin, for which the claim is made that it is the actual "clean linen cloth" in
which Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:59). This relic, though blackened by age, bears the
faint but distinct impress of a human form both back and front. The cloth is about 13 1/2 feet long and 4 1/4 feet wide. If the
marks we perceive were caused by human body, it is clear that the body (supine) was laid lengthwise along one half of the shroud
while the other half was doubled back over the head to cover the whole front of the body from the face to the feet. The
arrangement is well illustrated in the miniature of Giulio Clovio, which also gives a good representation of what was seen upon the
shroud about the year 1540.

The cloth now at Turin can be clearly traced back to the Lirey in the Diocese of Troyes, where we first hear of it about the year
1360. In 1453 it was at Chambéry in Savoy, and there in 1532 it narrowly escaped being consumed by a fire which by charring
the corners of the folds has left a uniform series of marks on either side of the image. Since 1578 it has remained at Turin where it
is now only exposed for veneration at long intervals.

That the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin is taken for granted, in various pronouncements of the Holy See cannot be disputed.
An Office and Mass "de Sancta Sindone" was formerly approved by Julius II in the Bull "Romanus Pontifex" of 25 April, 1506, in
the course of which the Pope speaks of "that most famous Shroud (proeclarissima sindone) in which our Savior was wrapped
when he lay in the tomb and which is now honorably and devoutly preserved in a silver casket." Moreover, the same Pontiff
speaks of the treaties upon the precious blood. Composed by his predecessor, Sixtus IV, in which Sixtus states that in the Shroud
"men may look upon the true blood and portrait of Jesus Christ himself." A certain difficulty was caused by the existence elsewhere
of other Shrouds similarly impressed with the figure of Jesus Christ and some of these cloths, notably those of Besançon, Cadouin,
Champiègne, Xabregas, etc., also claimed to be the authentic linen sindon provided by Joseph of Arimathea, but until the close of
the last century no great attack was made upon the genuineness of the Turin relic. In 1898 when the Shroud was solemnly
exposed, permission was given to photograph it and a sensation was caused by the discovery that the image upon the linen was
apparently a negative -- in other words that the photographic negative taken from this offered a more recognizable picture of a
human face than the cloth itself or any positive print. In the photographic negative, the lights and the shadows were natural, in the
linen or the print, they were inverted. Three years afterwards, Dr. Paul Vignon read a remarkable paper before the Académie des
Sciences in which he maintained that the impression upon the Shroud was a "vaporigraph" caused by the ammoniacal emanations
radiating from the surface of Christ's body after so violent a death. Such vapours, as he professed to have proved experimentally,
were capable of producing a deep reddish brown stain, varying in intensity with the distance, upon a cloth impregnated with oil and
aloes. The image upon the Shroud was therefore a natural negative and as such completely beyond the comprehension or the skill
of any medieval forger.

Plausible as this contention appeared, a most serious historical difficulty had meanwhile been brought to light. Owing mainly to the
researches of Canon Ulysse Chevalier a series of documents was discovered which clearly proved that in 1389 the Bishop of
Troyes appealed to Clement VII, the Avignon Pope then recognized in France, to put a stop to the scandals connected to the
Shroud preserved at Lirey. It was, the Bishop declared, the work of an artist who some years before had confessed to having
painted it but it was then being exhibited by the Canons of Lirey in such a way that the populace believed that it was the authentic
shroud of Jesus Christ. The pope, without absolutely prohibiting the exhibition of the Shroud, decided after full examination that in
the future when it was shown to the people, the priest should declare in a loud voice that it was not the real shroud of Christ, but
only a picture made to represent it. The authenticity of the documents connected with this appeal is not disputed. Moreover, the
grave suspicion thus thrown upon the relic is immensely strengthened by the fact that no intelligible account, beyond wild
conjecture, can be given of the previous history of the Shroud or its coming to Lirey.

An animated controversy followed and it must be admitted that though the immense preponderance of opinion among learned
Catholics (see the statement by P.M. Baumgarten in the "Historiches Jarbuch", 1903, pp. 319-43) was adverse to the authenticity
of the relic, still the violence of many of its assailants prejudiced their own cause. In particular the suggestion made of blundering or
bad faith on the part of those who photographed were quite without excuse. From the scientific point of view, however, the
difficulty of the "negative" impression on the cloth is not so serious as it seems. This Shroud like the others was probably painted
without fraudulent intent to aid the dramatic setting of the Easter sequence:

As the word sudarium suggested, it was painted to represent the impression made by the sweat of Christ, i.e. probably in a
yellowish tint upon unbrilliant red. This yellow stain would turn brown in the course of centuries, the darkening process being aided
by the effects of fire and sun. Thus, the lights of the original picture would become the shadow of Paleotto's reproduction of the
images on the shroud is printed in two colours, pale yellow and red. As for the good proportions and æsthetic effect, two things
may be noted. First, that it is highly probable that the artist used a model to determine the length and position of the limbs, etc.; the
representation no doubt was made exactly life size. Secondly, the impressions are only known to us in photographs so reduced, as
compared with the original, that the crudenesses, aided by the softening effects of time, entirely disappear.

Lastly, the difficulty must be noticed that while the witnesses of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries speak of the image as
being then so vivid that the blood seemed freshly shed, it is now darkened and hardly recognizable without minute attention. On the
supposition that this is an authentic relic dating from the year A.D. 30, why should it have retained its brilliance through countless
journeys and changes of climate for fifteen centuries, and then in four centuries more have become almost invisible? On the other
hand if it be a fabrication of the fifteenth century this is exactly what we should expect.

Baumgarten stated in 1903 that more than 3500 articles, books, et,. Had at that time been written upon the Holy Shroud. The most important is CHEVALIER, Etude critique sur l'origine du
saint suaire (Paris, 1900). Some useful details are added by MÉLY, Le saint suaire de Turin est-il authentique? (Parish, 1902). Baumgarten in Historiches Jahrbuch (Munich, 1903), 319-43,
shows that the preponderance of Catholic opinion is greatly against the authenticity of the shroud. See also BRAUN in Stimmen aus Maria-Loach, LXIII (1902), 249 sqq. And 398 sqq.,;
THURSTON in The Month (London, Jan. and Feb., 1903) and in Revue du clergé francais (15 Nov. and 15 Dec., 1902).

So where is the plane?

I receive a lot of strange information from a
wide variety of sources. Some of it is
intriguing. Some of it is flat-out weird. I try
(and frequently fail) to temporarily set aside
my own personal prejudices to objectively as
possible consider the merits of both the
intriguing and weird.

Recently, an interesting French website has
been asking questions about the crash of
American Airlines Flight 77, which reportedly
crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

The conventional wisdom has been inculcated
into us that there were four terrorist hijacked
airplanes that tragic day. But there are
refutations for each of the official scenarios
floating around. The conspiracy theory
industry hasn't been this jazzed since the JFK
assassination.

However, in the shadow of the creative writing,
multi-phased propaganda and bovine
excrement, there are several questions that at
least should be asked and answered.

The lie can be maintained only for such
time as the State can shield the people
from the political, economic and/or
military consequences of the lie. It thus
becomes vitally important for the State to
use all of its powers to repress dissent,
for the truth is the mortal enemy of the
lie, and thus by extension, the truth
becomes the greatest enemy of the State.
– Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels

The French website has pictures of the
Pentagon from Sept. 11. I looked at the pictures
shown and, frankly, (despite my visceral
reluctance to buy into another conspiracy) can't
answer the questions raised. Maybe our
readers can? Click on the French link and let us
know what you think. I have also viewed the
MSNBC footage over two dozen times and I
still can't see the plane. Can you?

1. The first satellite image shows the section of
the building that was hit by the Boeing. In the
image, the second ring of the building is also
visible. It is clear that the aircraft only hit the
first ring. The four interior rings remain intact.
They were only fire-damaged after the initial
explosion.

How can a Boeing 757-200 – weighing nearly
100 tons and traveling at a minimum speed of
250 miles an hour – only have damaged the
outside of the Pentagon?

2. The next two photographs show the building
just after the attack. The aircraft apparently
only hit the ground floor. The four upper floors
collapsed toward 10:10 am. The building is 78
feet high.

How can a plane 44.7 feet high, over 155 feet
long, with a wingspan of almost 125 feet and a
cockpit almost 12 feet high, crash into just the
ground floor of this building?

3. Look at the photograph of the lawn in front
of the damaged building.

Where is the debris? Any debris! Did it all
disintegrate on contact?

4. There are photographs, which show
representations of a Boeing 757-200
superimposed on the section of the building
that was hit.

What happened to the wings of the aircraft?
Why isn't there any wing damage?

5. One journalist asked: "Is there anything left
of the aircraft at all?" At a press conference the
day after the tragedy, Arlington County Fire
Chief Ed Plaugher said, "First of all, the
question about the aircraft, there are some
small pieces of aircraft visible from the interior
during this fire-fighting operation. I'm talking
about, but not large sections."

The follow-up question asked, "In other words,
there's no fuselage sections and that sort of
thing?" Plaugher replied, "You know, I'd rather
not comment on that. We have a lot of
eyewitnesses that can give you better
information about what actually happened
with the aircraft as it approached. So we don't
know. I don't know."

Wait a minute! Time after time (Oklahoma City
bombing, TWA Flight 800, Flight 93 et al.) we
are told not to depend on eyewitnesses?

When asked by a journalist: "Where is the jet
fuel?" The chief responded, "We have what we
believe is a puddle right there that the … what
we believe is to be the nose of the aircraft."

Notwithstanding the collective myopia in not
being able to see what we are being told, there
are more questions.

One pilot wrote, "I flew the Boeing 747 jumbo
jet, but not this 757 … from what I see (or don't
see) looking at these pictures, it's hard to pick
out aircraft parts:

The wingtip alone would have sheared
off and bounced back into the street, the
two engines would have penetrated
deeper into the wall and framing
structure further than any other part
making a definite hole.

The belly of the aircraft contains, fuel
tanks, baggage, mailbags, and cargo;
none of this type debris can be seen.

Assuming 8,600 gallons of kerosene fuel
at a specific gravity of approx 6.9 lbs/gal
(temperature considered) weight of the
fuel would be close to 60,000 lbs and
would splatter everywhere.

Where are the seats, those with
passengers buckled in would be ripped
out of the floor, for that matter, where are
the passengers?

I have never seen an aircraft accident
where the aircraft evaporated upon
impact, water, land or buildings.

If these pictures were taken within 3 days
after 9-11, there would have been definite
remains of parts. I don't see any.

Whatever inexplicable anomalies exist, the
passengers on Flight 77 died that tragic day.
Barbara Olson called her husband from Flight
77 and told him about the hijacking in
progress. There was most certainly an
American Airlines Flight 77 with real people
on board, and families in grief.

What did happen to the plane? Where is it?

"Near-death" experience support group rallies against skeptical "ridicule"

"They walk among us, seemingly normal but somehow different, having been
changed forever by indelible memories of what they believe have been visits
to the afterlife. They are survivors of near-death experiences (NDEs), and
though skeptics tell them it's all been nothing more than a hallucination, a
trick of the dying brain, there's a place in Broward County where they can
tell their strange stories of angelic beings, lost souls and the landscapes
of heaven without being ridiculed. On the first Friday of every month, the
South Florida chapter of the International Association for Near-Death
Studies (IANDS) meets in an annex of University Hospital in Tamarac to offer
these survivors and other spiritual seekers a safe space to get support and
inspiration..."

Quantum Consciousness

"... The behavior of colective electron systems is dominated by the interaction of each element with all of the others. The interaction energy scales with
the square of the number of electrons. The degrees of freedom of the system can be expressed in terms of the phase of the wave function, of the
four-potential, or of the circuit variables (voltage and current). These three sets of variables are projections of the same reality onto three different
screens - each represents the same underlying degrees of freedom. To illustrate the power of maintaining these parallel views, we have treated a
number of configurations using more than one approach. We have found that the concepts of kinetic and potential energy, and the conservation of total
energy are useful in unifying these three representations. The energy-density scalar represents all the energy in the system; no additional "field
energy" is required. ...

Archelological anomalies

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

(The Free Press, New York, 1996). for Bios magazine; most of the text for this review was
written in July, 1998.

Science In the News

The following roundup of science stories appearing each day in the general media is compiled by the Media Resource Service, Sigma Xi's referral service for
journalists in need of sources of scientific expertise.

If you experience any problems with the URLs (page not found, page expired, etc.), we suggest you proceed to the home page of "Science In the News"
http://www.mediaresource.org/news.shtml which mirrors the daily e-mail update.

In the News

Today's Headlines - May 27, 2003

RESEARCH POINTS TO RAPID PLANETARY FORMATION AROUND DISTANT STARS
from The New York Times

NASHVILLE, May 26 - New telescope observations suggest that planets may form
around distant stars more rapidly than previously thought, and some of these
planetary systems could be far more extensive than the Sun's, astronomers say.

The research, reported here today at a meeting of the American Astronomical
Society, showed that many huge disks of dust around young stars - leftovers of
stellar formation out of which planets coalesce - appeared to dissipate within
three million years of the star's formation.

The likely explanation, the researchers said, is that the dust has already collected
into the dense building blocks of Earth-like solid planets, which would be
undetectable with current telescopes.

If that is the case, the findings challenge the working hypothesis, based largely
on studies of Jupiter in the solar system, that it takes at least 10 million years for
planets to develop out of these protoplanetary disks of dust and gas. Such disks
with enough mass to form planetary systems are relatively common with newborn
stars.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/27/national/27ASTR.html

SOON, THREE NEW TRAVELERS TO MARS
from The New York Times

Though Mars has long intrigued humans, especially those who dream of
extraterrestrial life, it has repeatedly humbled anyone rich and venturesome
enough to send metallic proxies across millions of miles of space to try to learn
its secrets.

The United States and Russia spent billions on a dozen or so robotic craft meant
to land on the planet and radio back their findings. Only three succeeded - two
Viking probes in 1976 and Mars Pathfinder in 1997.

Viruses and bacteria are often lumped together as germs. But when it comes to
drugs to treat the illnesses they cause, the microbes are worlds apart. There are
dozens upon dozens of drugs that kill bacteria, the first ones discovered in the
1920's. Although resistance by bacteria to these antibiotics is a problem, the
drugs often work quickly to kill the bugs and cure the patient.

With viruses, the story is different. There are only about three dozen antiviral
drugs, and half were developed only in the last 15 years to treat a single disease,
AIDS. Antiviral drugs usually do not cure the disease, only slow the virus or reduce
the symptoms. Scientists have never been able to cure the most ubiquitous viral
disease, the common cold.

Saying that black people are in danger of being left behind at the newest frontier
of medical research, Howard University is planning to assemble the United States'
largest repository of DNA from blacks. The samples would be used to find genes
involved in diseases that have a particularly high incidence among blacks, such as
hypertension and diabetes.

The plan, to be announced Tuesday by Howard officials in Washington, is to
gather blood samples or cheek swabs from 25,000 people over five years, mainly
patients at hospitals associated with the Howard medical school.

WASHINGTON - In an office filled with books, specimen boxes and the aroma of
mothballs, John M. Burns hunches over a well-worn microscope and focuses on
the reproductive organ of a skipper butterfly.

To the naked eye, it is a speck of coffee dust. Under the microscope, it looks like
a whiskered jawbone. "Much more complicated than what you or I have," the
70-year-old scientist muses. For most of his long career as a taxonomist - a
scientist who catalogs and names living things - Burns has identified butterflies
this way, by painstaking observation of their genitalia.

But one day last fall, Burns opened a mysterious shipment of skippers from
Costa Rica. The butterflies were labeled as members of the same species, had
identical genitalia and looked alike. But in the wild, the insects were behaving
oddly.

This past week, as Toronto rallied to deal with an unexpected cluster of new cases of SARS, professor Chandra
Wickramasinghe of Cardiff University in Wales offered what sounded like an off-the-wall theory of the origin of
SARS. But on closer examination, his thoughts were completely predictable.

Dr. Wickramasinghe, together with the late Sir Fred Hoyle, has argued for decades that diseases come from outer
space. This is just one component of their further-reaching hypothesis that all life on Earth came from outer space, an
idea called "panspermia" that dates back to the 19th century. As part of this theory, Wickramasinghe and Hoyle have
argued that some epidemic diseases defy the usual mechanisms of disease transmission and can only be explained by
the arrival of bugs from space.

The catastrophic influenza pandemic of 1918 is an example.

In the current issue of the British medical journal The Lancet, Wickramasinghe quotes disease historians who found
the spread of that flu to be peculiar: It swept over the world in three distinct waves, the second of which was weird
because the disease appeared on the same day in widely separated places but took weeks to spread from those focal
points to areas within a few hundred kilometres.

Another oddity was the sudden appearance of the flu in the winter of 1918 in villages in Alaska that had been isolated
for months. How, he asks, could person-to-person spread explain that pattern?

Wickramasinghe contends that the usual explanations for such anomalies involve the invention of factors like
"superspreaders" — people who are unusually infectious — when there is really no evidence for them. Instead, he
argues that we should look to outer space for the explanation.

Here's how that would work for SARS, a virus that is apparently new and appeared without warning in mainland
China:

Earth moves through a cloud of SARS viruses floating in space; presumably millions of them (Wickramasinghe
doesn't specify a number) enter the atmosphere and fall to Earth just east of the Himalayas (where he says the
stratosphere is thinnest) and cause sporadic infections that lead to the epidemic.

Wickramasinghe also forecasts future mysterious SARS outbreaks caused by the delayed descent to Earth of more
SARS viruses still swirling in the stratosphere.

Should this idea be taken seriously? First, as is well-known, it's impossible to prove a negative, so no one can
categorically say it is impossible that viruses could come from space.

Is there any evidence that they do, beyond the unexplained features of certain diseases? Not much.

Wickramasinghe introduces his Lancet article by pointing out that a recent experiment collected living bacteria at an
altitude of 41 kilometres in the stratosphere. Some of these were remarkably Earth-like, but he is convinced they
came from space rather than being carried upward from Earth's surface.

When trying to evaluate extraordinary claims like this, it helps to check out the track record of those making them.

In this case, history shows that Wickramasinghe (and Hoyle, when he was alive) have been unusually eager to
promote their case that Earth is bombarded by space materials and, more specifically, that life originated out there
(and by extension that it couldn't have evolved here on Earth).

For instance, Hoyle and Wickramasinghe claimed in 1986 that one of the most important fossils of Archaeopteryx,
the half-bird half-dinosaur fossil that is one of evolution's prizes, had been faked: that bird feathers had been pressed
into wet limestone to create the illusion of a dinosaur with feathers.

It wasn't, and I'm sure Wickramasinghe has been happy to see his accusation forgotten, especially with the
subsequent discovery of all kinds of feathered dinosaurs in China.

More recently, Hoyle and Wickramasinghe argued that the atmosphere is becoming "clogged" with cosmic dust that
eventually will trigger another ice age, and that we should burn more fossil fuels, not less, to counteract that
inevitability.

That theory, needless to say, was eagerly embraced by global-warming skeptics.

I've seen it before: scientists with clout who become so attached to a point of view that they see everything through
that lens.

They complain about the establishment being close-minded ... but they never seem to admit they, too, might be
wrong.

Jay Ingram hosts the Daily Planet program on the Discovery Channel.

REPEATABLE NUCLEAR FUSION AT
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE NOW A REALITY

Experiments conducted by Particle Physics Research Company (PPRC), a Los Angeles based company, has conclusively demonstrated
low-temperature fusion is achievable, replicable, and sustainable over many hours by inducing specific non-equilibrium conditions in
partially-deuterided metals using very low input energies. In addition to fast-neutron emissions, experiments continue to record energy
yields comprising 3-MeV protons and 1-Mev tritons, considered prima facie evidence that low temperature fusion is taking place. These
results have been recorded over a seven-year period using three types of highly-reliable sensitive detectors. Charged particle emissions
have been detected exceeding over 400 times background rates. Repeatability of charged particle emissions exceeds 75% overall and is
expected to reach consistently repeatable levels when metal samples supplied (e.g. titanium) have closely similar properties and great care
is taken to ensure identical innovative processes are carefully implemented. Overall data strongly suggest low-level nuclear fusion in
deuterided metals under innovative conditions according to the fusion reactions d + d -> n(2.45 MeV) + 3He(0.82 MeV) and d + d ->
p(3.02 MeV) + t(1.01 Mev). PPRC is therefore confident it has invented the trigger for initiating nuclear fusion such that greatly increased
yields suitable for many commercial applications will ensue. Although certain specifics of the experiments are yet proprietary, many details
leading to the fusion interactions are included with illustrations. The technical procedures will also be included in this web site when
PPRC's journal article is published, expected by mid-2003.

Though arduous developments lie ahead, the ultimate goals for fusion energy are

In 1985, while conducting research in an entirely independent area of theoretical physics, pair-production of sub-atomic particles, Frank
Keeney became aware of what appeared to him heretofore overlooked electromagnetic field attributes of particles making up what is
termed the Standard Model. It wasn't until 1988 that it became apparent the particle field attributes uncovered might result in energy
innovations. Later, recognizing the possibility the findings might enhance fusion energy, he conducted experiments set up in a rudimen-tary
laboratory in Los Angeles. Upon achieving modest success in neutron emissions, Keeney contracted Dr. Steven E. Jones, Professor of
Physics at Brigham Young University, to assist with this work. Jones was selected on the basis of his 14 years of experience in fusion
research at Brigham Young University and muon-catylized fusion at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Jones also had access to
sensitive neutron and charged-particle detectors located in two underground laboratories at the university.

Jesus Christ's Tomb and Crucifixion Site Rediscovered

The garden tomb has long been suspected as the burial site for Jesus Christ for some time, but recently, from discoveries surrounding the re-discovery of the
crucifixion site, the Ark of the Covenant and the tomb stone itself, we can conclusively say that the Garden Tomb WAS the burial site for Jesus. For as the Bible
says, "He is not here. For He is Risen!"

The tomb stone for the Garden Tomb was found in a first century A.D. building surrounding the crucifixion site several hundred feet away. It is 13 feet, 2 inches in
diameter and around 2 feet thick. Dimensionally, it fits perfectly into the trough in front of the tomb, and also fits the exact spacing between two iron pegs designed
to hold the stone in place (see sketch below). The stone was held in place with a rope or iron chain being fastened to two iron pegs driven into the stone face. It is
the largest known tombstone yet discovered and MUCH larger than that covering King Herod's tomb which was 5 1/2 feet in diameter. So when the Bible says a
"great stone," it means exactly that.

The angel upon forcefully rolling away the stone, sheared the iron pegs holding the stone in place. The photo on the right shows the sheared off stub still left in its
hole.

This show of strength was hardly the act of timid disciples in stealing a body in front of a cohort of Roman soldiers as some allege.

Firefighters File Lawsuit Over Chaplains in Their Ranks

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., May 23 - While there may be no atheists in
foxholes, it seems there are at least some agnostics in firefighting
trenches.

Six California firefighters have gone to federal court seeking an end to
the chaplain's corps of the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Prevention, saying it impermissibly mingles church and state.

Seattle hotel is landing site for UFO conference

The white tablecloths were laid across the tables. The 6-foot tall goat sucker
-- a Chupacabra -- silently greeted entrants into the dining room. And the
emcee for the evening, a foot surgeon from California with a side practice in
removing devices tucked inside alien abductees, had recently arrived.

Everything was slowly falling into place
yesterday afternoon as the third annual
Northwest UFO and Paranormal
Conference got under way. Experts and
dilettantes versed in subjects as diverse as
crop circles, run-ins with UFOs in Brazil and
cryptozoology -- the study of hidden animals
-- gathered in the Radisson Hotel, where
they'll hold lectures and workshops through
Monday.

Philip Lipson, one of the organizers with the
Seattle UFO/Paranormal group said about
50 people had registered for the conference. He expected many more to drop
in.

The invitees covered the paranormal gamut. But what is it that ties Bigfoot to,
say, Native American medicine and extraterrestrials?

"Exactly," said one of the attendees, Patricia Johnson-Holm of Seattle. "Some
of them don't on purpose. Some of the speakers are the wrong speakers on
purpose."

Punctuating her sentences with raised eyebrows and knowing glances,
Johnson-Holm rattled off dates and numbers. She touched on the link between
a specific Bible verse and Feb. 1, 2003, the day the space shuttle Columbia
exploded. Much of this, she explained, would have been understood by
examining a crop circle in the United Kingdom.

"They all fit together in ways you never expect," she said.

The emcee, Roger Leir, said that he's extracted alien implants from 10
patients. He's even written a book about his experiences, "The Aliens and The
Scalpel."

At first, he said, he thought alien abductions were "absolute nonsense." Then
he met patients with foreign objects inside them without any scars. "The last
object I removed, I touched it and it moved out of the way," he said. "That
was kind of creepy even for me."

Positive factors found in prostate cancer study

Three Positive Factors Found in Prostate Cancer Study. A recent study has come up with three lifestyle factors that may be an aid in preventing
prostate cancer and in predicting whether or not prostate cancer will recur in patients who have been treated.

Based on a large study of prostate cancer patients, researchers found that maintaining a normal body mass index, frequent physical activity and screening before
diagnosis appear to be important.

The researchers, from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, used standard clinical criteria for predicting the risk of treatment failure in patients
treated for localized prostate cancer (cancer that is confined within the prostate) to assign the patients to different groups according to the likelihood that their cancer
would progress.

These criteria included pre-treatment PSA levels and biopsy Gleason scores (a score assigned by a pathologist to determine the aggressiveness of the cancer) and
clinical T stage (the size of the tumor).

A total of 1,117 patients with localized prostate cancer were recruited over a six-year period and surveyed on their lifestyle. These answers were then matched to
their risk of progression.

The researchers found that patients with a high-risk of progression were significantly more likely to be obese, to exercise less than twice a week, and not to have had
prior annual prostate cancer screenings.

Those with the lowest risk kept their body weight down, exercised regularly and had routine screenings.

"What we are finding has positive implications for prostate cancer prevention," says the lead author, Mfon Cyrus-David, M. D., a postdoctoral fellow in the
Department of Epidemiology.

"It appears to be important that men maintain a low body mass index, exercise to the point of sweating at least two times a week, and be screened regularly for
prostate cancer."

(To calculate your body mass index, click here. However, if you're under 18, a pregnant or nursing women, a frail and sedentary elderly person, or a competitive
athlete or body builder, you should consult your physician about weight concerns. )

Although researchers say their conclusions are preliminary, and that their findings need further validation with a follow-up study, the study is among the first to
attempt to quantify the predictive risk that lifestyle factors have on whether or not prostate cancer will recur in patients who have been treated.

Medi-bonk: the sex cheat Doc

A DODGY Collins St herbal doctor is providing fake medical receipts so
clients can claim sex on Medibank and HBA.

[Note - This end of Collins St is the tony end of town - Melbourne's
Harley St (assuming Harley St still has the cachet it once had)].

The doctor runs an illegal brothel near State Parliament and just 40m
from the Melbourne Club's front door.

[Melbourne Club - don't even think of applying unless you're male and
old-old-money]

Chinese-born Dr Abbie Li is also supplying herbal medicines but calling
it acupuncture so customers can get fraudulent insurance refunds from
their health funds.

Dr Li, who has been running Forever Young at 24-28 Collins St since June
2001, gives patrons receipts containing item numbers recognised by
health insurers as legitimate claimable services.

But the Herald Sun has discovered some of the services she provides are
not the sorts of things health funds knowingly pay out on.

It has also seen documents that name many of Dr Li's clients. These
documents list the amounts received and the item numbers provided so
customers can get full or partial refunds from their health funds.

They reveal that almost every receipt provided by Dr Li is for either
acupuncture or remedial massages - claimable from health funds - while
very few are for the supply of the herbal medicines she claims to
specialise in.

Herbal medicines are not claimable on health insurance.

A Herald Sun investigation has discovered other Chinese herbal medicine
practitioners are also rorting the system, claiming to have provided
claimable services while providing services health funds do not pay out
on.

Dr Wendy Yuan at the Chinese Medical Centre Specialist Clinic, which has
premises at 508 Kooyong Rd, South Caulfield, and at 12 Collins St in the
city, last week sold the Herald Sun three bags of loose herbs to treat a
neck rash.

She provided a receipt for $50, which fraudulently stated that
acupuncture had been provided and enabled the consultation to be claimed
on insurance.

The Herald Sun later confronted Dr Yuan, who works at the Collins St
clinic, with evidence of the fraudulent receipt. "I am sorry. If you
can return this receipt for me, then next time I give her acupuncture,"
Dr Yuan said.

The Australian Health Insurance Association fears other alternative
medicine providers may also be issuing fraudulent receipts so customers
can claim services not covered by health funds. It launched an immediate
investigation into how widespread the scam might be.

The Herald Sun bought Chinese herbal medicines from Dr Li and was given
a receipt saying the $85 handed over was for acupuncture. It also
arranged for a member of the legal brothel industry to visit Dr Li's
Collins St suites.

She provided him with a sexual service and gave him a receipt for an $80
remedial massage - the full cost of which is refundable by some health
insurance funds, including Medibank Private.

Dr Li, 44, advertises in newspapers that Linda and Suzanne also offer
Thai and Swedish massages from her Collins St premises, where she trades
under the names Forever Young and Chinese Natural Therapy.

Confronted by the Herald Sun, Dr Li admitted providing sexual services
and fake receipts. She promised not to do it again if the Herald Sun
agreed to keep her name out of the newspaper.

Dr Li said she was willing to pay "any penalty" to prevent being
exposed. "I am sorry for doing it. Give me one last chance," she said.

The Herald Sun has provided Australian Health Insurance Association
chief executive Russell Schneider with copies of various documents
detailing Dr Li's operation and an affidavit outlining its experiences
with Dr Yuan.

"I will be forwarding the information provided by the Herald Sun to all
health funds, and Victoria Police, for urgent investigation and action
as necessary," Mr Schneider said.

"Writing receipts which say a claimable service has been given when no
such service has been provided is a fraud. "Knowingly claiming for a
false service is equally fraudulent.

"In such cases both providers and their customers can be guilty of a
serious offence. Funds, their contributors and the police would be very
concerned if that is what has happened in this case. The overwhelming
majority of providers are decent honest people, and I do not believe
there would be widespread activity of the kind alleged".

"I will be advising all funds of these alleged activities and suggesting
they take appropriate action to ensure such practices - if they exist in
Melbourne or anywhere in Australia - cease."

Dr Li and Dr Yuan (under the name Xiao Wen Yuan) are both registered by
the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria, so their receipts
are recognised and paid out on by health funds. But Dr Li doesn't have a
brothel licence and nor does she have a Melbourne City Council planning
permit to provide sexual services.

The Australian Adult Entertainment Industry, which represents the owners
of legal brothels and escort agencies, will give Melbourne City Council
a statutory declaration outlining the sexual services Dr Li provided one
of its members.

An AAEI spokesman said there was no effective policing of illegal
prostitution. "Police say illegal prostitution breaches planning law and
they insist local councils do the prosecuting," the spokesman said.

"Councils have never prosecuted a single operator of an illegal brothel,
perhaps because Victoria Police does not have one single officer
dedicated to vice. We estimate there are about 400 illegal brothels in
Victoria, many disguised as massage parlours."

The AAEI spokesman said the State Government should ensure illegal
prostitution was properly policed.